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It’s time for the Hodgepodge! How I do love these questions and look forward to them every week! A huge thanks to Joyce for hosting!

1. What is something you’ll never forget about the age you are right now?

Let’s see…I’m 43, going on 44. I guess the thing I’ll never forget about this age is how one child left home and began earning her own way. Sometimes I feel too young to have grown children!

2. What’s a household chore you’ve never done? How have you managed that???

I’ve pretty much done every household chore, from cleaning out the gutters to mowing, to unstopping clogs. I do all of the home repairs and a lot of cleaning. I can’t think of anything, short of reroofing the house, that I haven’t done!

3. Does nature shape our personalities more than nurture? Explain?

This is a tough question! While I certainly believe that nature determines our personalities, I also think that nurture has a gigantic impact on them as well. I look at my students and can see who comes from a caring home and who doesn’t. I know, from personal experience, how not being nurtured affected me and the person I am today. My insecurities stem directly from a difficult childhood devoid of consistent love. Ultimately, I think that a nurturing environment can help turn our personalities toward those that are more positive in nature. The same can be said in reverse.

4. Friday (February 28th) is ‘Something on a Stick Day’…funny because Zoanna over at A Penchant for Pens recently sent me an idea for a question relating to this topic. What’s your favorite food eaten on a stick?

I don’t eat food on a stick, so I really can’t answer this question. I’m rather lame, am I not?

5. Which of your five senses do you treasure most, and why?

I thought a lot about this, and I think I’d have to say that I treasure my sight the most. I was very nearsighted through my 20’s…nearly legally blind in one eye…with severe astigmatisms in both eyes. Thankfully, I was able to have corrective eye surgery performed by an excellent doctor in South Florida, and my vision was restored to 20/20. When I sat up on the table after the laser surgery, I cried when I discovered that I could see the hands on the clock. I couldn’t remember how to tell time at that point, mind you, because I was so emotional, but nothing was blurry. All the way home, I read out sign names as if I’d been blind the entire duration of my life. I even drove myself to my follow-up appointment the next day.

I guess you can see why I think vision is so important to me. I don’t take beautiful sunsets for granted…the sight of my children…my fuzzy fur babies. They are all beautiful and a blessing to behold.

6. What’s the best music, theatre, or sporting venue you’ve been to? What made it great?

My favorite venue has to be Auburn’s football stadium. The love that the fans have for all things Auburn makes the feel of the place contagious. I love that I can be sitting next to somebody I don’t know and be exchanging email addresses by the end of the game…drawn together by a mutual love for our Auburn Tigers.

I took this picture when we got to step on the field during a tour two seasons ago.

7. It’s the last week of the month…in five words or less bid adieu to your February.

Four weeks until Spring Break.

8. My Random Thought

I have become addicted to buying books for my classroom. I constantly read book reviews, am a member of a group page on Facebook where each member is trying to read 100 books in a year and post reviews of the books we’ve read, and take note of my students’ reading selections so I can purchase more that they like so they will keep reading.

My latest purchase (before the one I placed yesterday afternoon) was this bunch…

Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, a member of the Air Force, who was shot down and taken captive during WWII. I saw his story highlighted during Olympic coverage because before entering the military, he had been in the Berlin Olympics.

I bought this book because I have a student who loves the military and books related to it.

City of Bones was a purchase I made at the request of another student. I want to read this series and plan on collecting all of the books. I may not get around to reading them until the summer, though.

The third book was recommended by my mentor, Cinda. It provides suggestions on how to foster a love for reading through specific and novel (pun intended) strategies that go beyond those that are passed around among most teachers. I can’t wait to dig into it but will wait until Spring Break or after FCAT because the print is small. It’s a “teacher” book, that’s for sure.

5 Responses

I love reading outside of my comfort zone. I don’t purchase books anymore, Thankfully I have found some wonderful books in the library. On my last cruise I joined the book club and read two very different books – “Lacuna” by Barbara Kingsolver. and “Color of the dog running away” by R Glynn.

I wish I could find more time to read…I miss it! Abby has terrible vision. In fact, her particular eye issues place her in 1% of the population. She’s tried so many pairs of contacts, but nothing’s worked. So, we’ve been told we can get her Lasik surgery when she turns 18…and that’s what we’re considering. She’s been in glasses since age 4.

Yes, seeing your children grow up and leave is tough – but that’s all part of the life cycle! And, I am exactly like you with the severe near-sightedness and astigmatism. I started wearing glasses in 2nd grade (when the teacher knew I could not see the blackboard) and I remember leaving the eye docs with my first glasses on – and seeing the world for the first time!! Since then, I have done contacts – and had lasik surgery. Unfortunately one eye has changed again – and a second surgery didn’t fix it. I”m back to glasses but that’s ok. (I loved “Unbroken” – a true story… and amazing adventure.)

My son and I have read the whole “Immortal Instruments” series, and we really liked them! There are some prequels too, called “the Infernal Devices” that were good too, though admittedly it took a little longer to get into those – but it ties all the pieces together at the end of the Immortal Instruments series… all in all, really well done! (DON’T watch the movie “City of Bones” though – they did a horrible job with it and didn’t come close to doing the books justice)